When you walk through the cobbled streets of the historic center of Rennes, you are far from imagining that the charming half-timbered buildings are in such a state. Sometimes it is enough to push the door to understand the extent of the dilapidation of certain buildings. At 11 place des Lices, the building has been empty for more than five years. As in a large part of the old centre, it is the very structure of this building dating from the 17th century which has been greatly weakened. “When you remove the partitions, you often see that people have tinkered with them over time. In the wooden walls, there is brick, concrete. On the floors, we sometimes discovered 60 centimeters of layers of concrete and superimposed floors… It was these modifications that weakened the envelope,” explains Mélanie Barchino.
The young woman is leading the renovation of the old center on behalf of Territoires. For more than ten years, the public developer has been coordinating this XXL project which aimed to save the built heritage of the Breton capital. In 2008, a report made an alarming diagnosis, estimating the number of “very degraded” buildings at 300, while 300 others were considered “degraded”. Since 2010 and the vote on a first safeguard plan, 243 of the most fragile buildings have been completely renovated, ie more than 2,000 housing units and 200 shops. “These are very long works, which last on average seven years and which can be expensive for the owners. Without public aid, none of what has been done would have been possible, ”says Didier Le Bougeant, deputy mayor Nathalie Appéré. In eleven years, 63 million euros in subsidies from the metropolis and the National Housing Agency (ANAH) have been mobilized.
“It will take us twenty years to complete this project”
It is to continue this huge project that the city voted on Monday evening phase 3 of its safeguard plan, which should make it possible to renovate 100 more buildings by 2030. “It will take us twenty years to complete this project”, warns Didier Le Bougeant. The elected socialist is quite proud to regularly receive requests from other cities wishing to draw inspiration from Rennes to deal with their historical heritage. Because the lack of work sometimes contributes to tragedies.
In Marseille or Lille, entire buildings have collapsed in recent years, killing people. “We are never safe from a failure of a building. But I have the feeling that we did everything to avoid it, ”says the elected official. Before starting its huge renovation plan, the city carried out a precise diagnosis of the weaknesses of each of the buildings in its old center. “Firefighters know where they can intervene and how. They know what flaws each building has.”
There is an indicator which makes it easy to judge the improvement of the situation. In ten years, the number of arrested in danger has dropped in Rennes, to become very marginal. “We do a lot less, even if we still happen to face disorders. We still come across unsanitary habitats,” acknowledges Mélanie Barchino. But Rennes is on the right track to save its old center.